Allergies Support Group

When the immune system responds to a foreign substance in an abnormal way, it is classified as an allergy. When the body first contacts the substance, it will not cause any reactions, but the immune system will start to produce antibodies to it and subsequent contact will trigger more dramatic responses. Depending on the allergy, the response could be mild or very severe...

Immunotherapy

I have really bad environmental allergies. About 4 or 5 years ago I decided to start getting allergy shots after I had such a severe reaction that I had trouble breathing and went to urgent care. I had severe allergic reactions to the shots a couple of times and I think that was because I was overly zealous in my treatment and received cluster shots in addition to getting shots more than once a week. I stopped after a year and decided to start again a few months ago. Who knows whether I will ever have less severe allergies but I am hoping my symptoms decrease a little after 20 years.

You start out with really low doses and gradually increase to a maintenance dose. I am usually itchy around the injection sites for a few days after the injection. You can always let the staff know you would like your doses to be lower and they should be accommodating.

I think that going back to get the shots was a really brave thing for you to do. I have very bad environmental allergies, and so does my brother. He used to get the shots but had to stop because they weren't really working, and they made him feel terrible. I also had to go to the emergency room because of chest pains due to the coughing caused by my allergies. I hope your allergies get better, and the shots work this time around!

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